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My name is Amy and I've been blogging on CDG since 2005. A mama of two living in Colorado, I'm passionate about attachment parenting, health and wellness, green living, essential oils, urban homesteading and unschooling/home schooling.

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Support Beauty in Nature – park clean-up & recycling

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~Edward Everett Hale

A few weeks ago, Sarcastic Mom put out a call to action to get others involved in a project to help clean up our neighborhoods, recycle or otherwise spread the word about green living. She called it Project Support Beauty in Nature.

This Saturday was a beautiful sunny (though super windy) day. It was nearly perfect for going outside and getting stuff done. While Jody cleaned out our garage and broke down all of the cardboard boxes we’ve collected over the past several months (we save them up for a while, then take them to our recycling center since our curbside recycling program doesn’t accept cardboard), the kids and I went for a walk to the park to pick up trash along the way.

A cursory glance around the park didn’t indicate there was very much garbage. However when we paid attention to it, we soon discovered a fair amount here and there and it didn’t take long at all for us to fill up the Target bag I brought along as a trash bag.

Julian fell asleep in the stroller, but Ava was a wonderful helper (like always). We found several soda and beer cans, fast food drink cups, plastic bags, and other miscellaneous trash, including 1 glove, a mini-highlighter (that Ava kept for herself), a piece of wood, candy wrappers, and straws.

There was a lot more trash down by the stream but I couldn’t maneuver the stroller down there so it will have to wait for another day when I can go back by myself or with just Ava.

We took it home and I sorted through it to recycle the cans and plastic bottles. Then Ava helped daddy load up the last bit of cardboard and dog food bags full of paperboard (cereal and cracker boxes, egg cartons, etc.) into the car.

I need to remind myself to take a bag with me whenever we go for walks because invariably there is some trash that needs picking up along the way and I feel a lot better about stuffing it in a bag, than I do in my pockets. :) There’s my green tip – take a trash bag to fill up on your walks. My guess is that you’ll always find at least one thing to pick up.

Here’s another green tip. Even if your community does not have a curbside recycling program (or if you do have one, but it doesn’t include all that you’d like to recycle – like our cardboard/paperboard), there’s a good chance there’s a recycling center somewhere nearby you with more options. Earth 911 is full of useful recycling information and more. You can use their Find a Recycling Center search box to find a center near you.

If you want to get involved in Project Support Beauty in Nature, there is still one more day! Sarcastic Mom is going to put up her big post where everyone can link back to their action posts on Monday, Feb. 11. So get to it and help make the world a little greener. :)

19 thoughts on “Support Beauty in Nature – park clean-up & recycling”

I know you live â€œgreenâ€ every day – but this post makes me so very happy!
I love that Ava got a little reward (the highlighter) for helping you. And I totally -heart- the photo of you guys with your bag â€˜o trash. :-)
My face is one big, goofy grin. Thank you so much for supporting! You rock!
(Iâ€™m so excited for Monday!!!)

I am so proud of you all-especially you, Amy, and my little granddaughter, Ava.
You are following in my footsteps and teaching your children that we are all stewards of this planet we live on. I daily pick up bits of trash when Dad and I walk the beach here in Florida-straws, bottle caps, cigarette packs, water bottles. Every little bit helps. And good for Jody for cleaning out the garage.
You all did a great job on Saturday. Loved the quote and all of you, too.

I think this is wonderful, what a great lesson to teach the kids! I would give anything to be able to be outside and participate in this…but it’s -20 with the windchill, and it’s just not safe to be out. :(

Living in a National Park taught me appreciate nature and it’s fine balance more than anything else ever could. I was so concerned about maintaining the integrity of the land that I began to pick up any little bit of trash I found anywhere. It’s become instinct now, even though I’m back in the city.

Sarcastic Mom is one of my favorite blog friends, she’s inspirational on all accounts… as are you!

we need to do more, for sure, but i’ve had some people already say that they think i beat most earth conscious pseudo celebrities that are so outspoken.. so, here’s hoping.. we used to pick up cans on walks, that was probably for money recycling a lot, but also because my parents couldnt stand to see trash along the road. we’d NEVER have dared to throw a piece of trash out the window. trashers are trashy!